Thanks Leslie, Your videos have helped me enormously during my first open waters experience in 5.5 K swim from San Lorenzo Island to La Punta yesterday. I got lost from sight and ended up completely alone, or so I thought, nobody around me, no kayaks to be seen for a good part of my swim. I´m sure i swam more then 6k due to the current and my lack of experience. Waters got a bit choppy and the wind picked up. It was mostly your tips on mental factors which helped make it to the finish line.

You missed out on the most important breathing technique, which is breathing on the side away from the direction of the waves. This obviously works only if you are able to breath bilaterally.

Swimming open sea for 3 years now...gets better and I love chop

My left ear really enjoyed this video

Thanks..wonderful..just learning to swim at 63..I am talking to myself...I can do it.

This is a great video. I live in Bermuda and was "taught" to swim as a 5-year old (I'm now 57) by two older boy cousins who simply threw me off the back of a row boat! Inspired by the 2012 Summer Olympics, I've decided to take advantage of our beautiful ocean surroundings and swim daily for exercise and the salt water benefits. This video provides the best formal training I've ever been exposed to. Thank you!!!

this vid is 12 years old, today was my first time taking on really choppy water, and even now, this vid is very real and relevant to me. thank you for making this vid. i think that mental element is a good one. especially when swimming alone, but also swimming with mates help as well.

I found the video helpful after struggling in a very rough lake! Thanks!

Thank you for the great open water swimming advice Leslie.

Wish I'd seen this video before I attempted my first open water triathlon that was super choppy last weekend.

Thanks for doing this video I'm new to open water swimming.

The last section, huge thanks for mentioning that! My biggest struggle is the mental part and honestly experience in those conditions, thanks for the mental tips and I'm looking into some open water races to just work on the swimming by itself.

The three most important things for WHATEVER is it you want to master are, Practice, Practice, PRACTICE. Always keep in mind that it will never get any easier cause the better you get at it the more you want to do. This is what I tell myself everyday I wake up alive: >>>The only easy day was yesterday!

Thanks for the post. I have my first race this summer and I'm nervous, but this video gave me some tools I can work on and get me ready

Today, during 10 mph winds, I swam 1.5 miles at Lake Phalen, MN in 56 min. 23 sec. This was the choppiest water I have ever swam in and I killed it! This video on youtube helped me improve my technique, and get the most out of my power to accomplish this personal best. Up until today I had some fear of being in choppy open water even with a swim bouy. Not anymore.

Thank you for posting this video. I did Alcatraz in 2002 and 2003 going for the third time in 2013. I will be going for the open swims with Coach Pedro on as many Sundays as I can get in between now and March..

I wish i watched your videos way before now. Thank you Leslie you are a great coach.

I owe you a smoothie when I visit San Francisco!! Marvelous.

Thanks so much for this video. I did a 2K yesterday and your mental advice helped a lot. I knew what to expect (being kicked, swallowing water). So glad I saw this before, kept cool and didn't fight the water.

This is a very good and helpful video by a person who knows what she is talking about! I swim in Sweden in cold water and I think its one of the best tutorials ever ( and it is whithout the usual overexplaning american style )YES!

Thank you Coach Leslie for these tips. I an a swim newbie thus open water is a distant dream. However I watch thus video to memorize how to in case I got tossed into open water…..

great video, I'm going for my first olympic distance tri at Ventura CA and this video really helps, gracias !!!!

Thank you, Leslie , you are a wonderful teacher.😊👌

Hi Brent, sorry to hear that. I've heard horror stories about Mead. And sometimes we have off days and the water gets the better of us. Don't sweat it. Great idea! Breastroke can be very effective, because at least you can see the water coming at you and will know when to breathe and when not to. It will also make sighting easier. The more experience you have in rough water, the easier it will get. Your skills and confidence will build the more you do it. Good luck and have fun. Leslie

Thank you so much for your tips ❤

I'm preparing for the golden gate swim in a few months, this has been very helpful. I'm excited and hoped for the experience of swimming in the bay again. I did the Alcatraz swim a while back. It's the single most satisfying thing I've done in my life.

thanks for the tips!

Thank you. What a great video and excellent info to help me in my next 70.3

Thank you very much, you just answered all the questions I had in mind, it helps me a lot, it's difficult to find all these tips and answers in one video, thank you!

Just did my first open water race yesterday and the water conditions were about the same as the water in this video... the waves really kicked my ass! I'd done a couple practice lake swims in what I had thought was "rough water," but then on race day it was like swimming in a washing machine. One thing I regret is not having practiced a variety of breathing patterns... I normally do every 3 strokes but due to the waves this pattern just wasn't possible. Also wish I'd seen this video first!

It looked SO Scary!!😮

great video, this is THE video we all need please upload more

That demo swimmer's pretty boss!

Thanks, helpful.

Best OWS instruction video ever! Wish I’d seen before my first. But still tons to learn. Will watch often

GR8 STYLE!!!!!

great video , worth watching, ps good 5mm suits called slinx on aliexpress for swimming in cold water like ireland all year round, with 7 mm socks , orca hats ,two at 3 mm each and one pair or tribord 3mm gloves with sealed wrists for sale at decathlon , just got in from an hour in over a metre high, waves, at 65 great fun

2:45 “spit don’t swallow when it comes in your mouth” …. LMAO

@Jerry1SKI Well done in your race!! Sounds challenging! Brain freeze goes away with more exposure to cold water - so the more you can acclimate in cold water, the easier and more comfortable it will be! Or, you can use a neoprene swim cap - that will keep your head a little warmer. Breathing every two is fine! Make sure you roll your body to breathe - that will make it easier to breathe in choppy water. Some of the dizziness may have been from the chop. Video about breathing to come soon!

Thank you!

Loved the video. You packed a whole lot of info into it. That's excellent. It would be cool if you could keep on making videos like this, helps a lot

Hello Hal. Thanks for your comments. Glad the video was helpful. Yes, you can use that wetsuit to swim in cold water. It will work moderately well. If you decide you really like cold open water swimming and plan to do a lot of it, you will want to buy a swimming wetsuit - in the states we call it a Triathlon Suit. It will keep you warmer and will be easier to move in. Have fun with the swimming! Leslie

Great and very useful video!!! :) Thanks!!!

Excellent review many thanks Coach Leslie!

thank you .very important information

Great explanation! Thank you!

Hi Orome20, great question. Someone above just asked about breastroke, too. It is an excellent stroke to use in open water, especially rough water. You might take a look at our open water breathing video, too! Have fun, Leslie

Great tips...thank you. Training now for the Cocos Crossing (2.2 mi) here on Guam...Memorial Day weekend 2016!

I am so excited just seeing it

Hi Leslie.. Nice information, good explanation.. Everyday practice is more important in the beginning stage..

Helped me swim the seas comfortably at an advanced age via this video

very good teachings thanks lot

Great video!

Brillant Video

Thank You...! It has been very informative...!

Getting ready for my first open swim ever!!! Hopefully I don't mess up by going away from the course

I love your videos thanks so much but would you please break down: how to relax with core engaged and in one video you said to blow out all of the air but in this one to save some air. Could you please break down both methods?

it's great for me to listen, greetings from Indonesia

excellent tips, thank you!

she is incredibly perfect teacher

Each one of your videos and tips are sooo.. how can I say; more valuable than a diamond mine miss ashley thank you very very much. cruise liner Ahmet ISTANBUL

THANK YOU IT IS LIFE SAVER !!

Thank You for your videito. I live in the Marianna Islands and swim in a reef protected cove it is very large and has choppy water and a very strong current at times. Your video was very insightful for us Island swimmers. We a have many challenging situtations in our ocean. Thank you

awesome vid!!! Leslie I think I love you

Very informative. Using a lake for practice and I see a big difference from pool.

well am off 2 loch lomond in scotland in the morn for 1 mile swim !! i will try and do what this vid says lol ,,,

I searched thru a bunch of comments nobody mentioned 2:46 "you don't have to swallow when it cums in your mouth" Hopefully I will never need this tip but knowledge is power :-)

Excellent!

thank you great video

Thank you. I can use this as survival skills.

Lift head - for look outs, is a must! Added experience - lowers threshold - for more of, a leisure - and breathe. Reminds me ov: Oregon Gg'orje - Gorge. Colder indeed there.

I have a question. It seems freestyle is the preferred stroke for open water but how well does breaststroke work if you are caught in rough waves? I swim laps and have good technique with breast stroke but for whatever reason I can never get my breathing right with freestyle and quickly wind up out of breath.

thanK You For Share Ur Leason and Experience Nice One

Using this video today

i have dine a distance swimmer for year and it is the most amazing feel being in open water all by your self no floation with you and miles from shore

Thnk u 👍👍

Great, highly informative and insightful video!

thankyou

nice coach

Great video..thank you for sharing

It is so encouraging,amazing too.. While just looking at video..but it's truly awesome.. Thank you ma'am... 👍👍👌👌😇🤗👑👑👑🙇🙇🙇🙏🙏

@Tottabolo I would not call 11 celsius HOT, but yes you can. With proper training, slow and steady acclimation that would be possible. Do not swim too much at once at that temperature.

You can but you may feel cold pretty soon though. Make sure you try it out before you do it in a race to know what to expect. It's not the nicest of feelings but doable depending on how long you are planning on swimming. Best of luck :)

thanks a lot

Can you make a video on the technique you use for long distance swimming? I know long distance swimmers have a different stroke than sprinter swimmers.

Relax and respond too and feel the energy and period of the waves. Swim parallel to them but be ready for the one that dumps on your head! Know when its time to go back to the beach (your limits) and time or adust your arrival if the waves are dumping on a steep beach.

Wow, that's calm sea by my "homesea" standard :)

Excelentw amiga pero quiero que lo envie traducido por favor.

Great video, I have watched this a few times. I get sea sick just watching this video.

Hi Adrian, Feel free to email me with specific questions you have. Only allowed 500 characters to respond here. I strongly suggest that you try open water swimming at least once (ideally in the SF Bay) before doing Alcatraz, to know what to expect when you jump off the boat. Cold water and chop are the biggest challenges. Alcatraz is tricy to navigate, too, so be confident and comfortable with your Sighting (we have a video for that!). You'll have a great time, though - that's a very fun swim!

I just DNFed in a Tri today, Rough choppy water, got workout fighting the waves coming at me in lake mead. the video is great. By the way, how effective is a breast stroke in rough water, could I do this for a few minutes and make any progress when the wind and waves are in your face during a Triathlon swim.

"anchor" when swimming in rough water? hmm I never heard about that and sounds very interesting... do you have a video explaining this technique?

@StreetSurfinn Thanks so much! We have one other video - about sighting. Video about breathing in OW to come!

rolling on back only works for certain bodyfat percentage, low bodyfat percentage under 10% and u will have hard time to stay afloat on ur back. Remember this. When i was a kid i could swim easily on my back in normal water, then when i grow up and have low bodyfat i cant even do it in sea

Liked basic training lesson to breath

Can u use above water strike

Great video. Great style. Very good advice and like the focus on mind conditioning as well. I would like to ask a question. I have a 5/4mm wet suite that is for kite surfing. Can I use this in cold water swimming? I only swam in open waters in warm climates but now in the UK, its always cold! Thanks Hal

Swim bouy? I love mine!

Freestyle is the most common, but I usually swim breaststroke. If you have a good, strong breaststroke, you may find yourself at an advantage with the breaststroke, because the sighting is much, much easier.

Thanks for the video. I love open water swimming, usually starting from a surf beach. I don't do a lot of it, but what I do I really enjoy. My big problem is that I tend to swim in circles, surprisingly tight ones. In a pool it is easy - there are lines on the bottom. But in the ocean and in the harbour there are no lines, and often I can't see the bottom anyway. So, I find myself stopping to sight very frequently which both interrupts the flow and slows me down. It is not helped by my poor vision. I take your point about sighting while swimming and I will try to practice it, Any tips for swimming in a straighter line?